Mapping Riverbanks with UAVs for Flood Monitoring
In November 2014, the DT18 accomplished as part of a bigger mission, a 1 hour flight above the Garonne river and covered 15km of corridor. 2 000 images were acquired and then processed on the Delair cloud platform. The resolution of this data set was 4.12cm per pixel.
Primary Purpose of the UAV Survey
The primary purpose of this project was to collect insights during a flood in the Garonne river in Toulouse, France so that it could be analyzed and compared to historical data. The secondary purpose was to analyze the riverbanks after the flood in order to determine if fallen trees or other debris caused obstruction to the river and its banks.
UAVs for Mapping Riverbanks
To address the needs of DDT-31, Delair deployed the BVLOS-certified DT18 long range UAV system equipped with an industrial RGB sensor. The high endurance of the DT18 allows operators to cover long linear distances or large areas in a single flight – in this case, a 360 ha section of the Garonne river. The DT18 flew along the Garonne river, out of sight of the operator, and collected over 15km of data.
Flood Monitoring: Data Analysis & Deliverables
Putting the data to work. After the flight, the data was uploaded to the Delair’s cloud base platform to be processed. The results were ready to be delivered after 24 hours, which is ideal when every minute counts during emergency situations. The high resolution of the created map allowed the responders to clearly observe fallen trees and other objects obstructing the river.
Business Benefits
-
Long range UAV allowing to cover more kilometers per flight
-
The cloud based platform efficiency enables quick turnaround on reporting and processing
-
Reactive tool to detect obstructions